Effective Coping Stereotypes

The manner in which an individual reacts to a stressful or aversive situation is referred to as a coping style. The purpose of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire is to measure the effort of behaviors used as coping strategies during a stressful event. Responses are associated with actions or thought processes that can be distinguished into two types of coping, problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989). These two types of coping are further analyzed and categorized into eight coping styles, which represent the coping behaviors most often used. These coping scales measure the degree of effort made towards using a coping behavior; the behaviors include confrontive coping, distancing, self-control, social support seeking, acceptance of responsibility, escape-avoidance, planful problem solving, and positive reappraisal. Scores from these measures are used to describe coping strategies, which can be correlated with gender stereotypes. Strategies used to cope with a stressful event can be adaptive or maladaptive in nature; they may also be consistent with traditional gender stereotypes of coping in some individuals, while other strategies may be inconsistent. …show more content…
Coping strategies that are effective include confrontive coping, self-control, social support seeking, planful problem solving, and positive reappraisal. These styles of coping allow an individual to respond to an initial event successfully and then reappraise the event. Ineffective coping, such as avoidance or distancing, often does not resolve the situation, but rather delay the resolution. The way in which an individual confronts the event, regardless of the stress resulting from emotional or physical circumstances, affects the ability of an individual to cope effectively (Carver et. Al,